said to be william and kate's personal request to pay tribute to the country's combat role in afghanistan. >> i'm really excited. yeah. >> reporter: canada rolled out the red carpet for these royals. spectators, young and old, showed up for a glimpse of the glamorous pair. some waiting more than six hours. and kate's fashion influence filled the crowd. how important is she as a fashion icon? >> pretty important. >> pretty important. >> reporter: from fascinators to a tennis dress, and of course there were plenty of flowers for a potential future queen. >> she bent down and chatted with you, didn't she? >> she asked us what's our name. and she said the flowers were very pretty. >> reporter: would you like to look like her when you're grown up? >> yes. >> reporter: william and kate's trip reminded more than a few here of another royal couple, prince chalks and diana visited the country in 1983 just a couple of years after they married. >> i was here covering charles and diana's trip to ottawa and william was just a baby at that time. so for me, it's quite poignant to come here, seeing him n